High level of serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor at transplantation predicts poor outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for adult T cell leukemia.

The prognosis for adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is very poor, and only allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) has been considered to be a curative treatment for ATL. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed data for patients who had received allo-SCT for ATL in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, to determine prognostic factors. Fifty-six patients with a median age of 57 years received allo-SCT.

A retrospective clinical analysis of Japanese patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified: Hokkaido Hematology Study Group.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) comprises a group of heterogeneous lymphomas that do not fit any other identified PTCL-subgroup and show poor prognosis. To clarify clinical aspects of Japanese PTCL-NOS patients, the Hokkaido Hematology Study Group conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis. The median age of the 107 patients (male 65.

Epidemiology and treatment outcome of invasive fungal infections in patients with hematological malignancies.

Invasive fungal infection (IFI) causes morbidity and mortality among patients with hematological malignancies who receive cytotoxic chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We evaluated the incidence and treatment outcomes of proven and probable IFI in 22 institutions between 2006 and 2008 following the recent European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycosis Study Group (EORTC/MSG) consensus criteria. We analyzed 2,821 patients with hematological malignancies, including 597 who had undergone HSCT; these included patients with acute leukemia (n = 697), myelodysplastic syndrome (n = 284), lymphoma (n = 1465), or multiple myeloma (n = 375).

Incidence and risk of postherpetic neuralgia after varicella zoster virus infection in hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients: Hokkaido Hematology Study Group.

To assess the incidence of and risk factors associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 418 consecutive patients who underwent HCT between April 2005 and March 2007. The male/female ratio was 221/197, median age at HCT was 47 years (range: 0-69 years), and autologous/allogeneic/syngeneic HCT ratio was 154/263/1. Seventy-eight patients developed VZV infection after HCT.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia: t(8;21) and inv(16) represent different clinical outcomes.

We analyzed 338 adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with t(8;21) and inv(16) undergoing stem cell transplantation (SCT) who were registered in the Japan Society for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation database. At 3 years, overall survival (OS) of patients with t(8;21) and inv(16) was 50% and 72%, respectively (P= .002).

Effects of the mean daily doses of imatinib during the first year on survival of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in Japan: a study of the Hokkaido Hematology Study Group.

In this study, we retrospectively analyzed 213 Japanese patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with imatinib mesylate. In 150 evaluable patients, mean daily doses were 400 mg or more in 42 patients, 300-400 mg in 42 patients, 200-300 mg in 44 patients and <200 mg in 22 patients. Complete hematologic response was observed in all the 84 patients treated with mean daily doses of 300 mg or more and complete cytogenetic response was achieved in 94.

Is eradication therapy useful as the first line of treatment in Helicobacter pylori-positive idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura? Analysis of 207 eradicated chronic ITP cases in Japan.

A retrospective study was performed to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection, the effect of H pylori eradication on platelet counts, and the characteristic clinical features of chronic immune or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) with H pylori infection. H pylori infection was found in 300 patients, a group that was significantly older (P < .005) and had more cases of hyperplastic megakaryocytes in the bone marrow (P = .